In a continuing effort to improve the quality of shipping fruits, I, the inventor, typically hybridize a large number of peach, nectarine, plum, apricot, and cherry seedlings each year. The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of nectarine tree, which has been denominated varietally as ‘Sugarine I’. The present variety was hybridized by me in 1996, grown as a seedling on its own root in my greenhouse, and transplanted to a cultivated area of my experimental orchard at Bradford Farms near Le Grand, Calif. in Merced County (San Joaquin Valley). The variety was developed as a first generation cross using ‘Bright Pearl’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,359) white flesh nectarine as the selected seed parent and ‘Spring Bright’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,507) yellow flesh nectarine as the selected pollen parent. A single tree from the stated cross was selected as the claimed variety. Subsequent to origination of the present variety of nectarine tree, I asexually reproduced it by budding and grafting in the experimental orchard described above, and such reproduction of plant and fruit characteristics were true to the original plant in all respects. The reproduction of the variety included the use of ‘Nemaguard’ (unpatented) rootstock upon which the present variety was compatible and true to type.
The present variety is similar to its selected seed parent, ‘Bright Pearl’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,359) nectarine, by producing nectarines that are nearly globose in shape, mostly red in skin color, firm in texture, clingstone in type, and very sweet and sub-acid in flavor, but is quite distinguished thereform by producing nectarines that are yellow instead of white in flesh color and that mature about two weeks earlier.
The present variety is most similar to its selected pollen parent, ‘Spring Bright’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,507) nectarine, by producing nectarines that are nearly globose in shape, very firm in texture, clingstone in type, yellow in flesh color, and nearly full red in skin color, but is distinguished therefrom by producing fruit that matures about two weeks later, that is larger in size, and that is sweeter and sub-acidic instead of acidic in flavor.